Benedict didn't return to Ashcroft Manor.Not yet.Clara's warning followed him all the way back to the city.Someone is willing to go to great lengths, even murder, to prevent you from discovering the truth.The document.Daniel Cross had hidden something twenty-four years ago—something powerful enough to prove the identity of the Ashcroft heir.Benedict sat in his car outside his hotel and opened the photograph Clara had given him.Nothing in the image appeared unusual.But Daniel had left clues everywhere.The eastern wing.St. Raphael's.The guardianship papers.The mysterious payment from Ashcroft Holdings.And now...A hidden document.Benedict called Mara."I need everything on Daniel Cross's private files.""I've already searched for what I could.""Not enough.""What are you looking for?""Things made in the three months leading up to the fire."Mara was silent."That's a lot.""Then start with his legal work.""Any particular type?""Guardianship. Estate planning. Inheritanc

Benedict couldn't see the man's face.Only his outline.Tall.Still.He was standing at the end of the narrow passage, as if he had been waiting for them all along, his presence seeming almost expected.Damian moved closer."Who are you?"The man didn't answer.Benedict tightened his grip on the guardianship document."You said Gabriel tried to save the child.""I did.""Then you know what happened that night."The man remained silent."Tell me."A faint sound escaped him.Almost a laugh.Do you really believe that finding out what happened will make a difference and somehow make things easier to deal with?"No."Benedict stepped forward."I think knowing the truth is better than living with a lie."The man tilted his head."That's what Isabella believed."Benedict froze."You knew Isabella?""I knew her.""Where is she?"The man didn't answer.Benedict stepped forward again."Is she alive?"A long silence followed.Then the man said,"That depends on what you mean by alive."Damian f

Benedict arrived at the address just before sunrise.The house stood at the end of a quiet road, surrounded by tall trees and an iron fence that had begun to rust.Mara had warned him.Samuel Cross doesn't trust strangers.Benedict understood why.A man who had disappeared for twenty-four years had every reason to be careful.Damian stopped beside him."Do you want me to come in?""No.""You're sure?"Benedict nodded.If he's already run away from his family once, then having two Ashcrofts show up at his door might just scare him off again.Damian looked at him."Then be careful."Benedict walked toward the house.He knocked.Nothing.He knocked again.Still nothing.Then the door opened.An older man stood behind it.His hair was gray.His face was lean.He had a long scar that went across his left hand.Benedict's eyes immediately went to it.The man noticed."You shouldn't have come.""You're Samuel Cross."The man's expression hardened."I haven't used that name in twenty-four yea

When Benedict finally arrived at the Ashcroft Group headquarters, he was met with a scene of complete chaos, the building was in total disarray.Executives moved rapidly between offices.Phones rang without pause.Security personnel stood near the elevators.Something had happened.Damian was waiting outside the boardroom."You took your time.""I was following a lead.""Forget the lead for now. We have a bigger problem."Benedict looked at him."What happened?"Damian handed him a file."Three lenders have frozen new credit facilities.""Why?"There's a problem with Ashcroft Group - they've got some issues with who actually owns the company, but the details are being kept secret.Benedict opened the file.The documents were professionally prepared.Too professionally."Who submitted them?""We don't know.""Are they legitimate?""Some of the underlying records are."Benedict looked up."Some?"Damian nodded."That's what makes this dangerous."They entered the boardroom.Victor stood

By eight o'clock that morning, the Ashcroft Group was already bleeding.The first warning came through the financial markets.The company's stock took a big hit, falling seven percent in under five minutes.Then twelve.Then sixteen.In less than half an hour, three big investors started getting rid of their shares.Phones rang across the executive floors.Assistants ran between offices.Security personnel were called to the financial division after several employees reported being locked out of internal systems.At the center of it all, Victor Ashcroft stood before the wall of screens in the executive conference room.His face was expressionless.Only his clenched fists betrayed him."Stop the trading."The chief financial officer swallowed."We've tried.""Try again.""We can't."Victor turned."What do you mean, you can't?"They're not just selling through one place, it's coming from all over - different banks, lots of accounts, and even brokers from other countries are involved.D